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User blog:Yoda8myhead/Oscar Challenge: 11/62
Six full days since the Oscar nominations were announced and I'm 11 movies in. Prior to the nominations I'd seen the following films which made the cut: ; Midnight in Paris : Woody Allen is my all-time favorite director, so there's no way I'd miss one from him. This was Allen in top form, as he hasn't been for fifteen or so years. The fanciful, intellectual tone of this script is exactly what he's best at, and hearkens back to some of his best work, like Annie Hall, The Purple Rose of Cairo, and Stardust Memories. I don't think it will win, in part because Allen is so anti-Oscars, but seeing it recognized is very nice, as I can think of few films I enjoyed and respected more than this one in 2011. ; Hugo : Scorsese captured all the magic of early cinema and placed it in the modern technology of 3D. I'm always glad to see 3D movies that aren't gimmicky, and this one was phenomenal at using the medium without overusing it. I did feel at times that it was a bit pedantic, but coming from someone as dedicated to film history and preservation, it's no wonder Scorsese used the film as a soapbox to educate the audience about a filmmaker few outside of a film history class are likely to know. Still I wish it had been a film about Hugo more and less one a history lesson about Georges Méliès. Scorsese swept a few years ago with The Departed, and I think that fact is what will keep this one from sweeping the show. While it's a phenomenal film, it's not good enough to justify winning every category it's up for, and that's what this year is going to be about, I think. ; The Artist : I went into this not really knowing anything about it except that it was an homage to silent film. I had no idea that it was itself a silent film, and a damn good one at that. The Artist captures the magic of an era long-past and proves that one can still tell a riveting, moving, and overall entertaining story with the technical limitations of nearly a century past. The performances and score were phenomenal in this, and I think it's the most likely contender for Best Picture and Best Director. In an era when cinema seems to be all about pushing the technological envelope, it seems natural that a film like this would come along and win the Academy over. ; The Help : I knew when I first heard about this movie that it would be a multi-nominee film. It just screams Oscar formula. Despite its sometimes maudlin aspects and lack of huge risk-taking, it's the best this year had to offer for mainstream feel-good movies. Once again white folks save black people from racism, but that's nothing new, and problematic as it may be, the story is good, and the performances were great. If both Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer won for their turns I'd be thrilled, though I don't see it happening in either case. ; Albert Nobbs : What a film! This one has it all. Stellar performances by both Jane McTeer and Glenn Close, the latter in her career-defining role. Given how long Close has been in the industry and that she hasn't won one yet, I think this year's Oscar may be hers. Regardless of who wins, Albert Nobbs is a powerful film about a woman's place not only in Victorian Ireland but in the modern day, as some of the same hurdles that existed then are still in place now, albeit in a different and more subtle form. Well worth a view if only to see two amazing actresses exhibit the very definition of perfect performances. ; The Ides of March : The direction of this film was outstanding, but it left a lot to be desired in its script and performances. I mean, really, do we have to play the sexual scandal card again? I get what the film was trying to do, but it was just too cliched and then ended right when I was getting into it. If this had continued an extra half an hour, then perhaps I'd have liked it a bit more. In its sole category of Best Adapted Screenplay, I don't think it stands a chance. Then, I saw the following since the nominations came out: ; Moneyball : I didn't have high hopes for this one, as it looked like a cheesy sports movie from all the previews, and I just couldn't get into a sports movie about the business side of it instead of the often more entertaining on-field aspects. I couldn't have been more wrong! Pitt and Hill were both top-notch and the script was incredibly well-done for something that could have easily been boring as hell. I think this one will get mostly overlooked in the actual voting, but I don't think its six nominations are undeserved. ; War Horse : I've got nothing but respect for Steven Spielberg, who is undoubtedly one of the most gifted directors of all time. That said, War Horse didn't do it for me. It was just too schmaltzy and time and again I felt like the film was yanking on my heart-strings so violently that the result was more of a wincing in pain than the sort of emotional response I think it was going for. In its best moments, the film is beautiful and moving, but for most of its nearly two and a half hours, it's just more of the same. The extended scene through No Man's Land is by far the high-point of the film, but other than that, it's a pretty forgettable film that I don't expect will get any statuettes come the ceremony next month. ; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo : What a powerful movie! I read the book, and have to say that a lot of the adaptation to screen done by the film's writers really irked me. Once I got over that, however, I was overwhelmed by the direction, cinematography, score, and above all, Mooney Mara's performance. I was hesitant of having anyone play Lisbeth Salander but after seeing this, I can't imagine anyone else taking a shot at it. If Glenn Close doesn't take the award for Albert Nobbs, Mara is my pick to walk away with gold. ; If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front : This was a fairly straightforward documentary that, while well-made, seemed more to get the nomination because of its subject than any actual risk being taken by the filmmakers. There's nothing really groundbreaking here, but in all, it's watchable, entertaining, and educational, and that's what a documentary's supposed to be. Having seen only this one thus far, it's hard to speculate on whether it's got a shot, but if I had to guess right now, I'd say it isn't a likely winner. We'll see what I think in a few weeks, however. ; The Adventures of Tintin : I went to see this one with lukewarm expectations. While I love Spielberg and the Tintin comics, I wasn't sure what to expect of animated Spielberg, nor the motion capture technique employed here (and in past films like The Polar Express), which has never really worked for me in the past. This one was a winner, though, and throughout I kept thinking how much it captured that same lightning in a bottle that made the Indiana Jones films so much fun. I can see why Williams's score was nominated, because it's just as captivating and invigorating as his past iconic scores with Spielberg, even if this one's theme won't get stuck in your head. Strange this didn't make the Best Animated Feature list, but that could be a result of being motion capture. In any case, way better than I expected at first and totally worth it to see in 3D if given the option. So that's it thus far. We'll see how far I can get before this time next week and I'll report in along the way or at least in a week's time. Until then, which films are others watching in anticipation of the big reveal in just under a month's time? What do you think of my feelings on the films I've seen thus far? Leave a comment or write your own blog to share your thoughts! Category:Blog posts